A Comparative Study Of Strategy Use In Chinese English Majors' First And Second Foreign Language Learning

Studies on students' language learning strategies (LLS) in the foreign languages context have received growing attention in the field of applied linguistics both home and abroad. From 1970s to the present, a number of researchers have made their contributions in this field with fruitful achievements. For example, there are studies concerning with strategies used by good language learners, the relationship between strategies and performance, strategy training, different factors affecting strategies. Many previous research findings have provided clear evidence that learning strategy use does have some relations with the outcome of foreign language learning, which merits our attention.The author of the thesis found that, in the existing literature, there is an inadequacy in the study of LLS use between English majors' FL1 and FL2 learning. Therefore, a comparative research is needed to extend the above issue by investigating the use of LLS between English majors' FL1 (e.g. English) and FL2 (e.g. French or Japanese) learning in a university in China and analyzing the relationship between LLS employment and the outcome of FL1/FL2, as well as looking into the differences and similarities of the use of LLS between these two groups in the Chinese EFL context. This formulates the purpose of the study.To be more specific, the study attempts to answer the following three research questions:1. What is the general tendency of the LLS use in English majors' FL1 and their FL2 learning? What are the differences and similarities in terms of their strategy use across the learning of the two foreign languages?2. Whether there is a correlation between LLS use and their TEM-4 (Test for English Majors-Grade Four) scores or FL2 (French and Japanese achievement examinations) scores? What kinds of LLS are more frequently used in the FL1 learning and correlated with the scores of TEM4? And what kinds of LLS are more frequently used in the FL2 learning and correlated with the scores of FL2 test?3. What FL1 learning strategies have the subjects transferred into that of their FL2 learning? And what leads to the transfer?Quantitative data were collected from 90 English majors who are learning French or Japanese as their FL2. Questionnaire instrument was adapted mainly on the basis of Oxford's SILL. With the help of the statistical software SPSS 13.0, responses from the questionnaire and scores from TEM4 or subjects' FL2 achievement tests were analyzed by way of descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as one-way ANOVA and correlation coefficient. The results indicated: (1) when learning English as their FL1, English majors used wider range of LLS with higher frequent ratio than they used LLS when they are learning French or Japanese as their FL2. Among the six categories, COM and MET strategies were used more frequently, MEM strategies are the least used strategies in the FL1 learning, comparatively, the most frequently used category of strategies in the FL2 learning is MEM strategies, and SOC strategies are the least used ones. However, no significant difference exists in Memory strategies use based on their FL1 and FL2 learning, which shows that maybe the English majors think memorization is necessary when both learning FL1 and FL2. (2) Correlation analysis showed that COG, MET, MEM, COM, SOC and AFF strategy use was closely related to the outcome of FL2 learning, while only MET strategy use was correlated to TEM-4 scores. A strong correlation existed between subjects' MET strategy use and both of their FL1 and FL2 scores. This revealed that in some sense, metacognitive strategy use can improve the efficiency of cognitive activities and then lead to high scores. (3) The study of transfer showed that four MEM strategies, seven COG strategies, two COM strategies and two MET strategies have been transferred from FL1 learning to FL2 learning. This indicated that on one hand, FL1 learning strategies do affect, to a certain extent, subsequent FL2 learning strategies, while on the other hand, many strategies could not be successfully transferred from FL1 to FL2 learning because ofâ‘ the different language proficiency levels of the subjects in English and French or Japanese,â‘¡the different requirements and goals of the two kinds of language learning,â‘¢the students' motivation and attitude in French or Japanese learning.It is hoped that this study would provide some insightful empirical data for some pedagogical implications in the FL1 and FL2 learning and teaching in Chinese universities. The study would also have some useful inspiration for improving and training students' LLS awareness and further into their proper and appropriate employment of LLS in their autonomous learning of foreign languages.